Access TurboVNC via a unix socket instead of a port

.github/workflows/test.yaml

@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           # -help flag is not available for TurboVNC, but it emits the -help
           # equivalent information anyhow if passed -help, but also errors. Due
-          # to this, we fallback to use the errorcode of vncsrever -list.
+          # to this, we fallback to use the errorcode of vncserver -list.
           docker run test bash -c "vncserver -help || vncserver -list > /dev/null"
 
       - name: Test vncserver

README.md

@@ -16,14 +16,21 @@ When this extension is launched it will run a Linux desktop on the Jupyter singl
 
 ## VNC Server
 
-This extension requires a [VNC Server](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Network_Computing)
-to be installed on the system (likely, in the container image). The
-most tested VNC server is [TigerVNC](https://tigervnc.org/), while
-[TurboVNC](https://www.turbovnc.org/) also works. Any VNC server available
-in `$PATH` as `vncserver` will be used, but no real testing outside of
-these servers has been performed.
-
-For an example, see the [`Dockerfile`](./Dockerfile) in this repository which installs TigerVNC and XFCE4.
+This extension requires installing a [VNC server] on the system (likely in a
+container image). Compatibility with the latest version of [TigerVNC] and
+[TurboVNC] is maintained and verified with tests, but other VNC servers
+available in `$PATH` as `vncserver` could also work. The `vncserver` binary
+needs to accept the [flags seen passed here], such as `-rfbunixpath` and a few
+others.
+
+For an example, see the [`Dockerfile`](./Dockerfile) in this repository which
+installs either TigerVNC or TurboVNC together with XFCE4.
+
+[vnc server]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Network_Computing
+[tigervnc]: https://tigervnc.org/
+[turbovnc]: https://www.turbovnc.org/
+[flags seen passed here]: https://github.com/jupyterhub/jupyter-remote-desktop-proxy/blob/main/jupyter_remote_desktop_proxy/setup_websockify.py
+[xfce4]: https://www.xfce.org/
 
 ## Installation
 
@@ -35,7 +42,7 @@ For an example, see the [`Dockerfile`](./Dockerfile) in this repository which in
 
 2. Install the packages needed to provide a VNC server and the actual Linux Desktop environment.
    You need to pick a desktop environment (there are many!) - here are the packages
-   to use TigerVNC and the light-weight [XFCE4](https://www.xfce.org/) desktop environment on Ubuntu 22.04:
+   to use TigerVNC and the light-weight [XFCE4] desktop environment on Ubuntu 24.04:
 
    ```
    dbus-x11
@@ -46,7 +53,6 @@ For an example, see the [`Dockerfile`](./Dockerfile) in this repository which in
    xorg
    xubuntu-icon-theme
    tigervnc-standalone-server
-   tigervnc-xorg-extension
    ```
 
    The recommended way to install these is from your Linux system package manager

jupyter_remote_desktop_proxy/setup_websockify.py

@@ -12,26 +12,8 @@ def setup_websockify():
             "vncserver executable not found, please install a VNC server"
         )
 
-    # TurboVNC and TigerVNC share the same origin and both use a Perl script
-    # as the executable vncserver. We can determine if vncserver is TigerVNC
-    # by searching tigervnc string in the Perl script.
-    #
-    # The content of the vncserver executable can differ depending on how
-    # TigerVNC and TurboVNC has been distributed. Below are files known to be
-    # read in some situations:
-    #
-    # - https://github.com/TigerVNC/tigervnc/blob/v1.13.1/unix/vncserver/vncserver.in
-    # - https://github.com/TurboVNC/turbovnc/blob/3.1.1/unix/vncserver.in
-    #
-    with open(vncserver) as vncserver_file:
-        is_tigervnc = "tigervnc" in vncserver_file.read().casefold()
-
-    if is_tigervnc:
-        unix_socket = True
-        vnc_args = [vncserver, '-rfbunixpath', "{unix_socket}"]
-    else:
-        unix_socket = False
-        vnc_args = [vncserver, '-localhost', '-rfbport', '{port}']
+    # {unix_socket} is expanded by jupyter-server-proxy
+    vnc_args = [vncserver, '-rfbunixpath', '{unix_socket}']
 
     xstartup = os.getenv("JUPYTER_REMOTE_DESKTOP_PROXY_XSTARTUP")
     if not xstartup and not os.path.exists(os.path.expanduser('~/.vnc/xstartup')):
@@ -59,6 +41,6 @@ def setup_websockify():
         # /desktop/ is the user facing URL, while /desktop-websockify/ now *only* serves
         # websockets.
         "launcher_entry": {"title": "Desktop", "path_info": "desktop"},
-        "unix_socket": unix_socket,
+        "unix_socket": True,
         "raw_socket_proxy": True,
     }